Alright dudes and dudettes... I'm soooo sorry it's taken so long to finish this story, but here it is none-the-less. Almost done... the next chapter WILL be up in a matter of days. That is, if anyone is even still reading it. LAUGH OUT LOUD. hahahha... anyways, yes. Again, I apologize for the tardiness...
without further ado...

chapter 15

15

Rogue opened her eyes and squinted at the clock on the wall.

"Oh mah God!" She sat up and shoved the Cajuns arm off of her. "Get up!"

He lazily sat up, rubbing his head. "Chere?"

"We fell asleep on the couch! Ah gotta get back to-"

"Remy told you… she's taken care of."

"An' what if she isn't?" Rogue stood up. "It'd be mah fault. You're so irresponsible Remy… ah shouldn't have let you talk me into-"

"Talk you into what chere. Remy didn' do much talkin'…"

"Would you shut up with your dumb jokes already?!" She buttoned up her shirt as she spoke. "Ah'm tryin' to be-"

A loud gunshot cut Rogue off. The two of them quickly raced out of the rec. room, sprinting down the hall towards the source of the sound. Another gunshot.

"Alex!" she shouted, her heart beginning to race as she took a few more strides down the hall to where the commotion was.

Remy slowed to a stop next to her, nearing the crowd that had formed in the hall.

Rogue gasped "No."

--

The two lay side by side, silently staring at the ceiling. "I didn't take his money you know." Johnny said, breaking the silence.

"I know." She replied softly, putting her hand on his gently.

He squeezed her hand. It was like they were just lying there, waiting for death to arrive. Like they'd just found out one of them had a terminal illness and only had mere moments left to share with one another.

She sat up quickly. "Did you hear that?" she whispered, eyeing the door suspiciously. "Is the door locked?"
"Yes." He sat up next to her. "It's locked. Don't worry Alex, ok?"

She nodded, but the look of concern was still evident in her expression.

Her eyes darted back to the door. This time he'd heard it too. It was a slight clicking sound.

"Rogue's out in the hallway right?" He squeezed her hand. "She'd never let anything happen to you."

Alex smiled "No, you're right." She said, trying to force herself to relax.

"Would it help if I checked?"

She looked at him. Part of her didn't want Rogue knowing he was in her room at all, but the other part of her was too scared to care.

She nodded.

He pushed himself off the bed and moved over to the door, twisting the lock and pulling the door open.

"Well, well, what a pleasant surprise."

Alex's breath hitched in her throat. Derek grinned, leaning against the door jamb with his arms crossed.

"Derek!" she stood, unsure of what to say.

"I suppose I hired you to watch out for my fiancée… you're simply doing your job." He took a step into the room, uncrossing his arms, revealing the gun he had in his hand.

"Why Derek?" She breathed the question with a frown.

"Did you really think I'd take care of you financially forever? Be honest with yourself now Alexis. I think we both knew that there was something amiss in our agreement. For a model you know, you're not very bright." Derek he looked from Alex to Johnny. "I'm a lawyer Alexis. What made you think I would have any obligation to continue to support you and your family once our marriage had ended?"

"It doesn't really matter; you never even planned on marrying me, did you?"

He grinned. "A marriage looks good. A death… well now, that gives you sympathy." He waved the gun as he spoke. "But… I just might be able to spin this in my favor."

Alex glanced over to Johnny. His eyes flicked towards the door. He wanted her to run. She lifted her chin defiantly, pressing her lips together. "And how is that?"

"You think I really needed to ask Mr. Storm here to be your bodyguard? I know all about you two Alexis… you go way back, don't you." He grinned "A marriage at nineteen, annulled days later, pregnancy scare, and now all the pictures I have of the two of you together. Fighting, and in some more… personal moments. You don't think the media would eat that up like fodder? As I said, a death gives you sympathy, but the death of a cheating fiancée at the hands of her lover? Well that's pure gold."

Alex stiffened "No one would believe Johnny killed me."

"Murder/suicide. It happens all the time dear. The whole 'if I can't have you no one can' thing." He grinned "And they'll believe what I tell them to believe." He aimed the gun at her and fired just as Johnny tackled him, throwing his shot off slightly. Alex cried out when the bullet tore through her flesh. She pressed her hand against the wound on her left shoulder and fell to her knees.

The two men struggled for control of the gun, tumbling out into the hallway. Johnny could feel his blood boiling as he fought to control his power, his flesh beginning to burn.

"You do know," Derek grunted through clenched teeth as he shoved Johnny against the wall. "That heat can trigger a gun. Don't you?"

Johnny grabbed his wrist, searing through Derek's jacket sleeve causing him to holler out in pain.

The deafening gun blast ended their struggle.

The two of them stared at one another in silence before Johnny blinked.

It felt surreal. First his ears began to ring as he looked down at the newly acquired hole in his stomach. There was so much blood. He looked back up at Derek, but the man was gone. He could hear Alex, but it felt like she was so far away. He slid down the wall, his hand pressed against the fresh wound. Alex's voice got closer, and finally her face came into view.

He looked at her bleeding shoulder. It didn't look good. He wanted to say so, but he couldn't make his mouth work. She pulled him close holding him as she spoke, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. It all sounded muffled. He coughed, noticing the weird taste in his mouth, like pennies and cotton. He felt tired. He wanted to close his eyes, but something about the look on Alex's face made him keep them open. She looked scared. He put a hand on her face to try to comfort her, to silently tell her that she didn't need to be afraid anymore, but this seemed to make her even sadder.

He tried so hard to keep his eyes open.

The room began to spin.

His eyes felt so heavy…

--

"Someone stop him!" Alex shouted, clawing her way to Johnny. If she could have gone after Derek, she would have but she couldn't even bring herself to stand. She had to get to Johnny. "John, look at me!"

His eyes looked blank and distant as he slid to the ground, a trail of blood marked his decent on the wall behind him.

A sob welled up in her throat as she climbed over to him. When she reached him, she twisted him around, laying him across her lap, cradling his head against her good shoulder.

Kerri got there first, followed by Lily. Alex frantically barked orders at them, and instructed someone to get Dr. McCoy.

She looked back down at him, ignoring the bustle around them "Come on John, just hang on…"

A sharp cough immerged from his throat, causing blood to trickle down the corner of his mouth.

"Oh God… he's coughing up blood." Alex looked back up "Tell them to hurry!"

He reached up and put his hand on her cheek. Her eyes filled with tears and she cupped his hand.

"It's ok Johnny. You'll be fine in a minute." She whispered.

Kerri stopped what she was doing and stared at Alex. "What are you doing?"

"I won't let it happen again." She sniffled.

Kerri stared at her, unsure of what to say. "You'll die Alex, you're not strong enough!"

His blinks had stopped now, and he'd closed his eyes.

Alex held his hand and took a deep breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She knew she probably wouldn't make it if she kept bleeding out… not if she did this…

She opened her eyes again and shook her head. "It's not…" She shook him.

"It's not working!" She cried.

She could hear her head pounding in her ears as she stood up, her tears had stopped. She ignored the group of people calling after her as she stared dead ahead, walking robotically the way she'd seen Derek take off.

She passed by a few people, rushing passed her in the other direction, saying something about CPR.

No one had seen where he went, which means he was hiding.

She came to a stop at the end of the hall and looked to her right. Derek gripped his arm gingerly where Johnny had burned him, sitting on the ground against the wall like a scared little puppy. It looked like he'd gone into shock from the burn that spread all across his hand and up his arm. When he saw her, his eyes fell to the gun that sat by his feet. Before he could reach for it, she kicked it away.

Without saying a word, she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him to his feet, ignoring his cries of pain.

She grabbed him by his bare neck, slowly draining the energy from him; draining the life from him.

When he stopped squirming, she dropped him, letting him hit the ground like a sac of potatoes.

She looked at her left shoulder blankly. Her wound was still there, fresh as it ever was. Her eyes moved back to the lifeless body on the ground and she took a step back. She should have been healed! Her heart began to pick up pace.

"Alex!" Rogue called out to her from down the hall "Come quick!"

Her eyes moved back up, meeting Rogue's.

She blinked a few times, bringing herself back to reality. She suddenly realized her arm hurt. Grabbing her wound, she winced, making her way back to Rogue with short, staggered breaths.

"We got his heart pumpin' again." Rogue informed her, putting an arm around her back to help her walk. "Hank's on his way."

They came to a stop next to him, two people doing CPR on him in unison.

She shook her head. "He's not going to make it."

Alex took his hand silently, kneeling next to him.

She brushed his hair away from his face.

"Lily." She looked up "This won't be over until I'm dead."

Lily stood up a little straighter. "What are you saying!"

"I love you. Ok?"

Before the girl could protest, Alex closed her eyes. Within seconds, her head nodded forward and she slumped over onto Johnny.

He sucked in a sharp breath and sat up, looking around at the faces of the people that surrounded him.

Lily sobbed silently into Kerri's shoulder.

"Alex?" He managed to say, clearing his throat a few times to get rid of the taste of blood.

He looked at Kerri "What did she do?!"

Hank rounded the corner with Logan, who picked her up carefully.

Hank worked while Logan held her as they both hurried down to the med bay.

"We need to get her oxygen. She's not breathing." He informed Logan as they boarded the elevator.

"Why isn't she breathing?" Johnny looked at Kerri, her eyes filled with tears as she shook her head.

"She can't give energy she doesn't have…"

"Why didn't she just wait for Logan!" He shouted.

"Uh, guys…" Scott called from down the hall. "You may wanna take a look at this."

The group of mutants that still remained at the site headed over to Scott, stopping just around the corner.

Jean stood up after checking Derek for a pulse.

"He's dead."

--

As I said before, the final chapter will be up asap. And there's a whole 'nother story coming along soon too... I actually HAVE that one, so it won't take terribly long to get it up. (THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID) I'm so amusing. :)